Selectmen appoint Mero as highway superintendent

Thursday

The Board of Selectmen last week made it official, Steven Mero is now the Highway Department superintendent. His interim days are over.

Mero, a member of the department for six years, had been in an interim role since April, after the retirement of longtime superintendent Donald Parker.

Parker was among Mero’s most vocal supporters, speaking for his appointment prior to his retirement, and again last week, when several supporters were in the audience to give Mero support, after the board had not made the appointment at two previous meetings (see story, page 4).

Parker said that Mero has done a good job dealing with some major issues during his short time in charge. They include the replacement of the culvert on School Street, paving the roads in Pine Grove Cemetery that had previously been laid out and dealing with Hurricane Sandy.

Selectmen had previously pointed out work Mero had done removing dead tree limbs throughout town in preparation for winter, that may have reduced problems during the hurricane.

“I think you folks, as the appointing authority, should make an appointment soon,” Parker said.

After the appointment, Parker reiterated what he had told selectmen, noting Mero had dealt with several major projects since his appointment and had done “a good job dealing with them.”

Parker, who was a former fire chief and served as head of the Highway Department since the 1980s, also repeated a point he had told selectmen at his retirement, when he supported naming Mero as his replacement. The same comment had been made by Sydow earlier.

“It’s a lifelong learning experience,” Parker said.

In Boylston, the Highway Department superintendent does not call for an engineer. The superintendent is a working superintendent, and for that, Mero’s work ethic makes him the person right for the job, Parker said.

Being from town, Parker said gives Mero the advantage of knowing many of the residents, and they him. Mero is invested in the community, choosing to raise his family in Boylston and also joining the Municipal Light Board.

Parker also joked about the things Mero has changed at the department, calling Mero a “good organizer” and willing to “grab the bull by the horns and get stuff done.”

For Mero, the appointment is the accomplishment of a longtime goal. Mero moved to town in 1989 and previously ran his own landscaping business. He was a subcontractor for Parker prior to being hired as a full-time employee.

He said the job of highway superintendent was one he aspired to early on, and spoke about tracking down Parker in the cemetery one day to ask about a job with the department.

“He knew me already,” Mero said, adding with a laugh: “Basically, I had an interview with Don right on the side of the road. He was like, ‘when can you start?’ ”

After meeting with Town Administrator Sue Olsen and making it official, Mero said Parker immediately started showing him the job.

“We had good communication,” Mero said. “Since the beginning, we had a pretty good relationship work-wise. We never had any real issues.”

Parker noted Mero was quick to learn, so he kept teaching.

“He isn’t afraid to do anything I would do as a working superintendent, whether it’s being in a bucket or in a trench,” Parker said.

So far, Mero said the biggest learning curve has been in regard to state road and sidewalk assistance, known as Chapter 90 funds.

“Chapter 90 has been the most frustrating thing to deal with,” Mero said. “The state is constantly changing the forms. So, I would fill them out and send them in, and they would send them back with more things to fill out. To come into my position, with a $700,000 job (Green and School streets), it can be a little frustrating dealing with that.”

Mero’s initial appointment will run until the end of the current fiscal year in June, since the position is not contractual, but one that is re-appointed every year.

“As far as I’m concerned, it should be an ongoing appointment,” Selectman James Wood said.

Wood, who had raised the issue of making the appointment official at previous meetings, pointed out the appointment coming when it did, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s pass through town, was fitting. The Highway Department, along with the Municipal Light Department and public safety departments, were praised at the beginning of the meeting for their job performance during the storm.

Like Parker, Wood said Mero is dedicated to the town.

“It’s always nice to have someone in town willing to step up into a position,” Wood said. “Steve’s on the Fire Department, he’s on the light board. That certainly shows he wants to help out and volunteer.

“I haven’t heard a bad thing about him,” Wood said. “He’s taken on a couple of new projects and a couple of old projects and I think he’s done a good job.”

Selectman Matthew Mecum also noted how things went smoothly during the hurricane.

“I think this week’s storm really showed how fortunate we were to have a person already on the Highway Department that was ready to step into the superintendent’s position,” Mecum said. “Steve has done a great job the last five months. It shows around town and I’ve had a number of people mention how well they think Steve is doing. I’m excited to see what he can do now that he is the full-time superintendent.”

Sydow, like the other selectmen, noted he had heard many favorable comments about work performed by the Highway Department under Mero’s leadership. He joked that when he called Mero to say some more paperwork would be required, Mero noted he was “still up” to the job.

“The comments have all been favorable,” Sydow said. “Steve is replacing someone who served the town for 40 years. He’s gone out and gotten the things he needed for the job and he comes with (Parker’s) recommendation. It makes sense for this board.”

Mero said one goal moving forward is to seek more grants and alternative funding to help pay for more projects in town. He also said he wants residents to feel comfortable calling his office if they have issues or questions.

“Anybody who has any issues, I want them to bring them forward,” he said. “I want to work with the townspeople. Come forward, give us a call … we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We’re committed to helping the town out as much as we can.”

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